Scholarships have plenty of different requirements in order to be eligible. Some may ask for a certain GPA or higher. Others can ask that your natural hair color be red. There really is no limit to what they’ll ask for!
These awards also ask you for information ranging from your contact details to your goals during college. And many ask for essays to go along with the application. Essays, though, especially if you’re applying to a lot of scholarships, can be extremely time-consuming. While you can definitely combine essays to create a foundation essay that you can pull from for different awards (and college applications), it would also be nice to not have to write essays for every application!
Thankfully, there are plenty of no essay scholarships out there! Here’s a quick review of what they are, what you need to know about them, and 3 you may be able to apply to today!
What Is a No Essay Scholarship?
A No Essay Scholarship is an award that does not require an essay in order to apply. These scholarships may simply ask for your contact details, goals during college or after graduation, GPA, or other basic information. Scholarship applications that require no essays, though, tend to be easier to complete – many only take a few minutes to enter!
Scholarships and grants can also be directed through your school, which you’re entered in simply by completing your FAFSA and/or applying to the college!
How Can You Increase Your Chances of Winning?
Since no essay scholarships are easier to apply to, the competition tends to be fierce. Thankfully, there are ways to increase your chances of winning!
- Meet all the qualifications. If you don’t meet the qualifications for the award, don’t apply! You’ll be ruled out before you even have a chance.
- Have a high GPA. While they may not have a requirement for essays, many of these awards require a minimum GPA during high school or college. Maintaining a higher GPA could increase your chances of winning a merit-based scholarship.
- Be active outside of school. Joining extracurriculars, being active in clubs, or volunteering can also impact your chances of winning a scholarship. It can give you an edge over other students that are applying for a position. For some awards, it may also be required.
- Complete your Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Did you know that scholarships sometimes look at the FAFSA information you submitted? Need-based awards tend to look at these financial details to select a winner, especially ones that are through your scholarship. Colleges and universities also tend to use this information when offering grants and scholarships to potential students. The sooner you complete your FAFSA, the better – and even if you didn’t win last year, don’t ignore your FAFSA the following year. You never know what you’ll be eligible for or what requirements will change from year to year!
3 Examples of No Essay Scholarships
1. Keep Going Forward No Essay Scholarship
Award Amount: $1,000
Deadline: October
The Keep Going Forward No Essay Scholarship is for anyone who is moving somewhere or going somewhere new in life! Whether that’s going to a new school or just a new chapter in your life, you’re eligible.
2. ScholarshipOwl No Essay Scholarship
Award Amount: $1,000
Deadline: Towards the end of every month
Every month, the ScholarshipOwl No Essay Scholarship awards $1,000 to four students (six in December)! And once you apply to this scholarship, you will be automatically entered into future months’ awards!
3. Niche $2,000 No Essay Scholarship
Award Amount: $2,000
Deadline: Towards the end of every month
High school students, current college students, and those going to graduate school could be eligible for the Niche $2,000 No Essay Scholarship. The winner is selected through a monthly drawing, and you are more than welcome to apply for multiple months. Keep an eye on your emails to see if you won!
When you’re busy applying to colleges, packing for school, finishing up your senior year of high school, and dealing with everything else that’s on your plate, scholarship essays can feel like another mountain you have to climb. While you should still apply to scholarships that require essays, when things get too busy, you can always apply to no essay scholarships in order to increase your chances of getting free money.
Want to find other no essay scholarships? They’re easy to find when you have a scholarship database that helps you weed through the thousands of awards out there! Our Scholarship Search Tool allows you to input your information to discover the scholarships you qualify for. Ready to get started? Sign up for free right here to begin your search and applications!
| Lender | Rates (APR) | Eligibility | |
|---|---|---|---|
 |
6.97%-15.03%* Variable
5.99%-14.00%* Fixed
|
Undergraduate and Graduate
|
VISIT CITIZENS |
 |
6.37% - 16.70% Variable
4.50% - 15.49% Fixed
|
Undergraduate and Graduate
|
VISIT SALLIE MAE |
 |
4.98% - 16.70% Variable
4.07% - 15.66% Fixed
|
Undergraduate and Graduate
|
VISIT CREDIBLE |
 |
6.07% - 11.31% Variable
4.39% - 10.39% Fixed
|
Undergraduate and Graduate
|
VISIT LENDKEY |
|
|
6.22% - 16.08% Variable
4.09% - 15.66% Fixed
|
Undergraduate and Graduate
|
VISIT ASCENT |
 |
6.54% - 11.08% Variable
3.95% - 8.01% Fixed
|
Undergraduate and Graduate
|
VISIT ISL |
 |
5.62% - 18.26% Variable
4.11% - 15.90% Fixed
|
Undergraduate and Graduate
|
VISIT EARNEST |
 |
4.98% - 12.79% Variable
8.42% - 13.01% Fixed
|
Undergraduate and Graduate
|
VISIT ELFI |
